Cholula (McCormick & Company)
Cholula Original Hot Sauce
Mexican hot sauce
arbol, piquin
Medium (maker's heat-level graphic)
DeadlyMaracas
Hot sauce, salsa macha, chile crisp and the dried chiles behind them. Heat is the hook. Flavor is the whole point.
Pick your poison
5 shelves open so far. Every product profile lists its sources.
Field guides
Straight answers, every claim numbered to a source.
- Ancho, guajillo, pasilla & co.Mexican dried chile field guide
- Veracruz vs Sichuan, in oilSalsa macha vs chile crisp
- The table-sauce showdownValentina vs Cholula vs Tapatío: Mexican hot sauces compared
- Tacos, eggs, birria, pizza, wingsWhich hot sauce for which dish
- Red workhorse vs sweet bodyGuajillo vs ancho: what is the difference
- The oil salsa from VeracruzWhat is salsa macha
- Prep before the potHow to use dried chiles: toast, rehydrate and cook
The lineup
One from each shelf. 29 sourced profiles so far.
XILLI
XILLI Salsa Macha
Slow-fried chipotles and toasted peanuts in a smoky chile oil
chipotle morita
Fly By Jing
Fly By Jing Original Sichuan Chili Crisp
Sichuan chili crisp
erjingtiao chili
Dried chile
Ancho
Dried poblano; broad, flat, heart-shaped pod
From fresh poblano
1,000–1,500 SHU (fresh poblano)
Empresas Tajín
Tajín Clásico Seasoning
Chile-lime-salt seasoning; maker lists heat level as mild
chili peppers (unspecified; maker states 100% Mexican chiles)
House rules
Flavor before bravado. A sauce that only hurts is a dare, not a condiment. We care about what the chile tastes like and what it does to a taco, an egg or a bowl of noodles.
Sources, not vibes. Ingredients, origins and heat ranges come from makers and reputable references, linked on every profile. When nobody has published a Scoville number, we don’t make one up.
No fake taste tests. We don’t invent rankings, reviews or prices. If we ever say we tried something, we did.